In the past, plants often connected process equipment to their incoming city water supply and never gave it another thought. However, since the days of plentiful and cheap city water are gone, and sewer charges are often substantial, self-contained water recirculators and chillers have become a popular option. The cost of water can add up quickly, especially if process equipment is running for several shifts a day.
Note: In addition to the pure water savings, you also gain more consistency in your process because you will controlling the water temperature to a setpoint, rather than using “whatever” temperature comes out of the tap.
When a chiller is substituted for city water, the payback can be as short as a year. Use the calculator below to estimate how much is spent on water at your facility.
| Annual Water and Sewage Cost | |||||
| Your Usage (GPM) | Your Water Rate: | $2.00 per 1000 gallons | $5.00 per 1000 gallons | $8.00 per 1000 gallons | $18.00** per 1000 gallons |
| 1 GPM | $240 /year | $600 /year | $960 /year | $2,160 /year | |
| 5 GPM | $1,200 /year | $3,000 /year | $4,800 /year | $10,800 /year | |
| 10 GPM | $2,400 /year | $6,000 /year | $9,600 /year | $21,600 /year | |
| 25 GPM | $6,000 /year | $15,000 /year | $24,000 /year | $54,000 /year | |
| 50 GPM | $12,000 /year | $30,000 /year | $48,000 /year | $108,000 /year | |
| 75 GPM | $18,000 /year | $45,000 /year | $72,000 /year | $162,000 /year | |
| 100 GPM | $24,000 /year | $60,000 /year | $96,000 /year | $216,000 /year | |
** $18.00/1000 gallons is what we pay in 2020.
Calculations based on fifty weeks of 40 hours/week